


Complications Of A Teenager

by BabyPinkPuppy



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Human, Brotherly Bonding, Character Death, F/M, High School, Human Turtles AU, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Minor Character Death, Romance, Swearing, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-03 22:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14006424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyPinkPuppy/pseuds/BabyPinkPuppy
Summary: The four brothers didn't know what was coming for them. They didn't know what type of situations they would get themselves into. They all clashed with each other wildly. Raphael had to resist the urge to strangle his brother, Donatello was plagued with lovesick eyes, Michelangelo tried to keep a happy face for his family, and Leonardo just felt so out of place. TMNT HUMAN AU.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've posted on two other websites and I'm just running with it. I have a bunch of other stuff I wanna post on here planned but I still gotta edit my shit and figure out what to do with it later on. I have a lot of stuff I gotta rewrite and I am not looking forward to that. Plus, I've got Spanish homework, Pre-AP World History homework and some stuff I gotta study for. Luckily I'm skipping school on Wednesday since people are going on some field trip and I am NOT doing some big ass packet. I've got better things to do – like sleep. Enjoy this or whatever. Please review because reviews are apparently writer's chow.

April O'Neil stood in front of the school gates of her new high school. Her skin prickled with nerves and the tips of her fingers tingled with anticipation. It was her sophomore year but the school was completely new to her. She barely had enough time to adjust to her new life in New York City. Her father, Kirby O'Neil, had gotten a new job that was closer to New York but his work area was too far from their original home in the farmhouse. April only had the summer to get used to a place she had to call home now. She technically lived around New York, but she was never in the city. The city was bright, colorful, and incredibly noisy compared to the dark, quiet farmhouse located in Massachusetts. She would miss her old friends, sure, but at least she and her dad would still have the farmhouse to go back to for vacation. Silver linings, people.

Kirby had taken her shopping a month ago for new clothes. April had never been in a mall so large before. The one back home was just a borrowed vintage antique shop that had clothing items to spare. The owner of the store was a kind elderly woman who was well into her eighties. Her father had hung around in the food court while April scoured around the massive building, looking for any store to shop in. April didn't know much about fashion or what trends were in for girls her age. After what felt like an hour of mindless walking around, her eyes wandering, April finally settled on two stores that looked like they had interesting fashion choices. After checking her phone to see how trendy the stores were, she took a deep breath and went into the first one, _Forever 21._ April read in the reviews that it was the store that was extremely popular for girls her age. She gazed at the clothes and looked through them. She had bought a couple of shorts she liked, and one yellow t-shirt with the number _5_ on it. Next she went to another store called _H &M._ Their clothes were less flashy and she found that she really liked that store better since it seemed to fit her style more. She felt less insecure and more comfortable with herself there.

Digging her white pained nails into her bright yellow backpack, which she just realized with humiliation that it was bumblebee themed, April sighed and took the first step into her high school. The front of the large building was crowded in a swarm of students. April glanced at them as she timidly walked closer to the inside, praying that nobody spotted her childish backpack – and if they did, she hoped no one would say anything. The students paid her no mind – thank god – and she watched with a pang of envy as they all laughed with their friends, hanging onto each other and some skipped inside the school, and she saw a group of boys racing towards the entrance. As April entered the building, she couldn't help but observe the inside of the building. She thought it would be something like out of a movie, maybe like _The Breakfast Club,_ but the halls were wide and gave people enough space to roam in the halls. Lockers were spread together against the walls, and she saw a clear glass case that held all of the school's accomplishments from all the students. Students gathered around and flung their lockers open. And others chatted nearby the doors of their classroom. April kept a somewhat neutral expression as she noticed some curious students eyeing her. She tried to keep focus and attempted to remember what her assigned locker was. _54A._

April's crystal blue eyes followed along the trail of lockers, trying not to make eye contact with any of the other students. Eventually, after what felt like twenty minutes, she found the locker number assigned to her and breathed a sigh of relief. She dialed her combination in as she focused to remember what the numbers were. April immediately unwrapped her bumblebee backpack off of her and shoved it into the locker, unzipping it as she grabbed her thick blue binder. She flipped the binder open and skimmed through her schedule. Huh. Her first class was AP English. Easy, it was similar to Journalism and she was a natural at that. Nodding to herself, after skimming the rest of her classes for her first day, she set the binder on the top shelf and quickly gathered the notebooks she assigned for each class. After grabbing three composition notebooks, a pen and her mechanical pencil, she grabbed her binder and tucked all of her supplies to her chest, April shut the locker door close and turned a heel, a smile on her freckled face as she headed for AP English.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April enters her first class of the day and meets one of her classmates. Donnie walks out of school and finds to his amazement that there's a pretty new girl at his school.

April finally reached her AP English classroom and laughter instantly hit her ears. Her eyes skimmed the room and she already saw so many kids in the class, having already snagged a seat. The teens were crowded around each other's desks as they laughed and talked about something April would probably be unable to hear. April glanced at the teacher, who was furiously scribbling something down in her notebook. The teacher didn't seem to notice the girl as she wrote in her book and April glanced at the SMART board behind her, instructing that the students may sit wherever they liked. April glanced back at the rows of desks and furrowed her brows. Everybody in the room seemed to have either unnoticed her or maybe they were too enthralled in each other's conversations that they didn't see the newcomer walk in. April's eyes swept across the room as she tried to find any empty desks. The fifth row of the desks were mostly empty and there only sat one student. April immediately gave in and made a beeline for any desk in the last row. She was never a fan of the last row because it was filled with mostly burnouts and slackers but all the other desks were taken. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and April turned her head, curious as to who she was sitting next to. It was a boy she had obviously never met, and he was currently twirling a pencil in his hand, catching it between his fingers and April noted his appearance.

The boy had rich chocolate skin, a raven black buzz cut, and dark eyes. His jaw was sharp and he had one earring on his left ear, a blinding white that it resembled a diamond. The boy was very handsome, she noted. He looked like the smooth type of guy that could swoon a girl's heart over. The boy wore a navy blue hoodie and a pair of dark jeans, but what drew him the most to April was the odd red paint marked over his eyes. It looked odd and while she was new here, she knew she didn't see any other boys in the halls or outside with that type of paint on their faces. The red paint over his eyes reminded April of the mark of the Red Eared Slider Turtle. It looked incredibly odd but somehow it made him even cuter. Well...she supposed all teenage boys were odd. He continued to toss his pencil in the air and he seemed oblivious to April's presence. April turned her head away as she realized she was staring and he could've caught her at any given time. Maybe he would be insulted if he thought she was staring at the red paint.

April flinched when she heard his voice finally speak, his voice low and deep, "Y'know, it's not polite to stare at people without their permission," he murmured, and April felt heat rush at the tip of her ears, her cheeks flushing. The boy finally turned his head at her and lifted a brow, his pencil still between his fingers. April turned her head at him and smiled sheepishly, hoping it was just hot in the room, "Sorry," she apologized, "I didn't mean to stare." she told him. The boy did nothing but stare at her, his dark eyes narrowing a bit, his expression stoic. He shrugged, "I'm artistic." he said, and April blinked. "What?" Was it her or did he kind of sound like a deeper voiced Chris Griffin?

"I'm artistic." he said again, and he shrugged, "Not as much as my little brother, but I like taking chances. Thought I'd try something new." he explained to her as he pointed his index finger at the red paint, "And as far as I know, _this_ counts as something new." April nodded, giving him a kind smile, "It's new," she agreed, "Looks kinda cool." she said. The boy blinked at her, furrowing his brow as he gave her a confused expression, "Are you new here or something?" he asked, "I've never seen you around here before."

April nodded, "Uh, yeah. My dad got transferred and I moved here over the summer. I'm from Massachusetts." she told, and she extended her hand for him, smiling at him, "I'm April," she introduced. The boy looked at her with a bored look, but he accepted her hand as well, "Leonardo." he said, and she noticed how firm his grip was, and she briefly wondered if he was athletic or not. April smiled as she turned back to her own seat and looked through her schedule. However, she flinched in surprise when someone abruptly snatched the crinkled yellow paper on her desk with speed-like precision that she didn't even have time to blink until it was gone. Blinking repeatedly, April whipped her head back in Leonardo's direction and she found him reading through her schedule with a blank look.

"Hey!" she cried out indignantly, snatching the paper back from his hands and she narrowed her eyes at him. He seemed unfazed by her glare as he continued to stare at her with that bored look again, "Looks like we have all classes together." he told her, and April blinked at him, but she still pouted. "You could've just asked for a look, you know." she snapped and Leonardo shrugged, "True. But the look on your face was priceless." he said with a shark-like grin. April huffed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She opened her mouth to say something, possibly a retort, until the door slammed shut and everyone looked up at find their teacher near the door, her hand grasping the knob. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and she smiled kindly at them.

"Welcome, students!" she greeted joyously, throwing her hands up in the air, "I'm Mrs. Noel, and welcome to AP English!" she said as she came near her large desk, "Please take out the orange textbook from under your desk, garb a thin sheet of paper and open to page thirty one." she instructed. The room quickly shuffled as students did as she said with dull looks on their faces. April slipped out a piece of paper from her binder as she hauled the heavy textbook onto her desk. The thick book made a loud thump against the desk as she flipped through the pages, listening with a neutral expression as their teacher instructed them what to do.

* * *

 

April shared four more classes with Leonardo. She walked alongside him as they headed to their lunchroom, Leo unknowingly leading the way for her since she was new. She had been walking at his side all day even though she tried to be a little discreet. She  _was_ new here, after all. She was sure Leonardo wouldn't mind...probably. They had talked here and there, mostly questions about her. However, when she asked him questions about his home life, she had only answered her with vague answers and even those didn't suffice with her. She asked him if he had any siblings, he said he had three brothers and one sister. She asked him what were his hobbies, he had shrugged and never answered. Leonardo seemed like a very private person and to her he seemed like a lone brooder who only sat by himself most of the time. They mostly talked about her and as she used her observational skills, she noticed that he seemed uncomfortable whenever the subject of their topic was him. April backed off with the personal questions in respect of his privacy. Leonardo seemed like an interesting guy. She had no business to pry.

"So, are you gonna join any clubs?" he asked her as they rounded a corner, walking straight down a hall as students passed by them, hurriedly rushing to the lunch lines that were probably already packed. April shrugged, "I'm thinking about signing up for Journalism Club," she answered with a smile as they entered the lunchroom, packed with students. The room was loud with student's chatter and she let Leonardo guide her through the crowd as he led her to a table near the windows, broadcasting the sunlight as it brightened the whole room. Leonardo sat across from her and she took a seat across from him. "What about you?" she asked as she leaned forward, hands folded atop of each other on the long table. Leonardo shrugged, "I don't know. I'm not really a club kind of guy." he answered. April smirked, "What about sports?" she asked, "I bet you're pretty good with a ball or something."

Leonardo scoffed, "Please," he dismissed with a roll of his eyes, "I rather suck face with our old gym teacher than waste my time on some dumb field with a bunch of hippies."

April raised a brow, "Since when are jocks hippies?" she asked, amused, "Aren't they just jocks?"

"Jocks can be hippies."

April chuckled as she shook her head at him in amusement. She turned her head and noticed the third line to the left side of the room was much shorter than the other two. She turned back to Leonardo, whose dark eyes followed her trail and he grinned, rising from his seat. "I'm gonna go get some lunch. You want anything?" he asked, reading her thoughts.

_Huh. So he's observant,_ she thought, smiling in thanks, "Uh, you don't have to." she dismissed with a wave of her hand, "Maybe just some fruit or whatever. I'm fine with anything. Thanks." Leo shrugged, unbothered, "My pleasure." he said, walking off and she watched as his retreating form ventured to the third line. She smiled as she turned her head back, slipping out her phone from her back pocket and tapping the screen on. She played one of her games – _Candy Crush –_  and waited as Leonardo stood in the line, most likely close to the food bar by now.

"Are you friends with Leonardo?"

April shot her head up and blinked in surprise at the new voice. She looked up to find a girl her age. She had olive green eyes, round, black rimmed glasses, gothic type of clothing along with violet lipstick. And her hair stopped below her ears, bangs occupying her forehead. The color looked odd to April, her hair was dark with purple highlights in them. The girl sat where Leonardo did a few seconds before and she regarded the red head with a curious expression.

"Uh...excuse me?" April asked, furrowing her brows. The girl blinked, "I asked if you were friends with Leonardo." she repeated. April pursed her lips and shrugged, "I don't know. I guess." _Leonardo didn't exactly make it clear,_ she thought to herself. The girl nodded at her answer, "Oh, well I should warn you that he's kind of a loner. And kinda weird. But not Mikey weird. More like..." the girl tilted her head and looked off to the side and narrowed her eyes in thought. "He's like dark and brooding weird." she told the red head.

April turned her head back to where Leonardo had gone off to, and noted that he was at the register or whatever they called it here. She turned back to the girl and shrugged, smiling lightly, "I don't know. He seems pretty nice." the girl blinked and nodded, humming in thought, "He's not mean to you or anything?"

"No."

"Is he a perv?"

"Not that I know of,"

The dark haired girl leaned back and stared at Leonardo's direction. She hummed, "How long have you known Leonardo?" she asked.

"Since first period." April answered, setting her phone down as the girl plopped her backpack in front of her. The girl shoved her bag aside and shot out her hand to April, "Irma Langstein." she introduced, offering April a small smile. April nodded and shook Irma's hand, "April O'Neil." she said, giving Irma her own smile. Irma let got of April's hand and unzipped her backpack, pulling out a plastic container filled with her own food. "You must be new here, right?" she asked pleasantly, unpopping the lid open. April nodded, "Yeah, I'm from Massachusetts." she explained.

"What was your old school like?" Irma asked with a tilt of her head. "Are the teachers any nicer there? Is the food any better?"

April lifted a brow at the girl across from her, wondering how she hadn't passed out yet since she was using up so much of her oxygen. Who could ask this many questions so fast? "The school was okay. The teachers are about the same from here from what I could tell. And I wouldn't know what the food here tastes like. I'm new, remember?" April answered with a chuckle. Irma nodded as she grinned sheepishly, "Erm...sorry. Almost forgot about that. Did you just move here?"

"I moved here over the summer with my dad. I think he was transferred from this asylum or something." April said. Irma grinned, "Sweet. So how you liking the school here so far?" Irma asked with a small smile. April shrugged, "It's okay, I guess. The halls are pretty big and I think it'll take some time for me to adjust to it for a while." she answered honestly before a thought occurred to her. "So how do you know Leonardo?" she asked Irma, "Were you guys in any classes last year or..."

Irma shrugged, her expression now neutral, "We're not really friends or anything," she admitted, "We used to be friends back in grades school and then middle school happened, and you know how that's like." she answered. April nodded, smiling in understanding, "Yeah, I get how that's like. I was once friends with this girl named Nicole since we were in fourth grade, but then we were in sixth grade she started hanging out with the cool crowd or whatever and we just kinda drifted apart, I guess." April told the girl. Irma shrugged one shoulder as she popped a grape in her mouth. "Yeah, sad what happens when you turn two digits," she sighed, and her olive eyes looked behind April, and she raised a brow. She tilted her head as she looked at April, "Is it just me or can you also see the red paint on his eyes?"

"Yeah. He told me he wanted to try something new."

Irma simply shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Boys..." she sighed dramatically, "I will never understand their ways. Especially him."

April giggled, nodding along with her, "True. But he's actually really nice." April said, partially defending Leonardo, who was currently walking back to their table with a lunch tray in his hands. Leonardo lifted a brow at Irma, who was now chewing on a piece of her sandwich, and he plopped a seat next to April. He turned his head at April, "I see that you've met Irma," he mused with a tilt of his head. April shrugged and smiled sheepishly at him. Irma regarded him with her own raised brow and narrowed her eyes when she spotted his tray. "I see that you took so much food." she observed and April slid her gaze to Leonardo's lunch tray.

The dark red lunch tray was currently filled to the brim with food and her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "I didn't even think a person could eat that much." she noted as Leonardo popped open his water bottle, throwing his head back as he swallowed a large portion of the liquid. He slammed the bottle back down on his tray and shrugged, handing her an apple. "I have a high metabolism." he said as if it explained everything. Irma rolled her eyes and smirked at him, "You and your brothers," she said with an amused tone. Leo rolled his eyes skyward and snatched his bag of chips.

"So Irma tells me that you guys used to be friends." April said as she took a large bite of her apple, chewing slowly as she studied his expression. Leonardo seemed unfazed as he lifted a brow, his dark eyes flickering to Irma for a second, and then he shrugged, "I guess," he said as he munched on his chips, taking another drink of water. Irma tilted her head as she narrowed her eyes at the dark skinned teen, narrowing her olive green eyes, particularly at the red marks over his eyes. "Have you always been this weird or is it just the paint?" she quipped as Leonardo paused and set his water bottle back down again, the bottle nearly empty.

He shrugged, "I'm trying something new."

Irma grinned like a shark, "You look like a Red Eared Turtle." she teased but Leo didn't seemed offended. His face was blank as he shrugged again, tilting his head, "Well, red eared turtles are awesome." he joked along. April stared back and forth at the two of them as she snatched Leonardo's fruit bowl. She popped a melon in her mouth and observed the two of them with amusement in her crystal blue eyes as they started to bicker back and forth. So far, high school has seemed promising for her.

* * *

Donatello flipped his notebook close as their teacher bid them a farewell. The majority of his classmates all shared a collective, audible groan as their AP World History teacher announced that they had a few homework assignments coming up along with a pop quiz somewhere this week or the next. Donnie scooted back from his chair and rose to his feet, dodging past his classmates as he walked out of the class. AP World History wasn't difficult for him but Donnie still found it less than exciting. He always preferred Science because that subject was like heaven for him. His brain worked in harmony as he tried to figure out where he had to mix the chemicals and which chemicals to mix. He liked trying to solve the problems and he loved building cool robots and repairing his computer.

As Donnie travelled down to his locker, dreading for his afternoon training with his brothers after they walked home from school, he flung his locker door open and grabbed his deep purple backpack. He stuffed his books inside the backpack before he slung it over his lanky shoulder, before he paused in his tracks. His reddish brown eyes widened in surprise when he spotted a girl walking to the exit of the school. He could see her form perfectly and noted how radiant her bright strawberry blonde hair looked against the sunlight. Freckles dotted her cheeks and her eyes were a beautiful crystal blue. She wore a yellow t-shirt with a black long sleeved shirt underneath, a pair of jean shorts with leggings underneath. On her feet were a pair of black boots with bright yellow and blue striped socks peeked from under them.

He could've sworn his heart skipped a beat, his hands suddenly felt clammy, and heat rushed to his cheeks. She was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. Donnie never even knew that he had a thing for red heads. He's seen plenty of girls before, and he had thought some were beautiful in his opinion. But they weren't the type he would date because some of those girls were usually put off by him and some had preferred his younger brother. He was pretty sure he looked like an idiot right now, standing in the hallway, the center of a sea of students, staring at a random girl with lovesick eyes. His heart pounded in his ears and he focused on observing her from afar. The girl must be new to their school or something, he had never seen her around the school here before, and he also noted that she was talking with Irma Langstein, an old friend of his brothers back when they were in elementary school.

The girl with the red hair brushed her bangs aside and Donnie's eyes widened in surprise when he saw his younger brother, Leonardo, come up to the two girls, both greeting him with a pair of identical smirks. Leo had his hands stuffed in his pockets, his expression blank as always, and he occasionally shrugged as he and the girls escorted themselves out of the building, disappearing from Donnie's sight as they made a right, chatting away about something Donnie would never hear or know about - unless he asked Leo himself, but he doubted he would get a valid answer. What surprised Donnie the most about that encounter was that it had involved Leo in the variable. Donnie knew Leo wasn't exactly the most social of the brothers, and Donnie supposed he shouldn't be too surprised that Leo suddenly made friends with a pretty new girl at their school. Pretty girls were very drawn to Leonardo because most people believed that he was the better looking of the Hamato Brothers. Donnie had honestly never cared whether girls were attracted to him or not, they weren't worth his time anyways.

But as Donnie blinked back to reality, shaking his head as he trudged forward and opted to wait for Michelangelo at the bottom of the stairs outside, he thought back just a little. He was glad Leo had finally made a friend after all these years, and supposedly friends again with an old acquaintance, he couldn't help but envy his second youngest brother for befriending a pretty girl Donnie had just formed an infatuation with seconds ago. And he briefly wondered why it was usually Raphael or Leonardo that always attracted the pretty girls – not that he cared or anything. He was completely fine with being unattractive or just average, but...he didn't really know why, the old saying of 'love at first sight' had always been a ridiculous saying to him, but this girl was making it seem possible to him. Not that he was in love with her or anything, he wasn't, not at all. She was just a very pretty girl, maybe she was intelligent like him or ditzy like all of Raphael's previous girlfriends.

"Donnie!" Mikey exclaimed, throwing an arm around Donatello's lanky shoulders, and Donnie simply rolled his eyes at his baby brother, walking forward as Mikey began his day, his baby blue eyes brightening with that radiant smile stretched across his freckled face permanently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So not much here. I just wanted to introduce at least three of the turtles and involve Irma in there somewhere. Before you can assume anything, no this isn't Leo centric at all. And as for his appearance, I know it's a little weird since not a lot of authors do this but I wanted to try and be more diverse with the characters and there's no proof that if Leo were human he would be Asian, African American, or White. And I wanted to pay some homage to Leo's new design concept from the new cartoon that's coming up. I still don't know whether or not if I'll watch the show but I think I'll watch one episode and we'll just see from there. Plus, I kinda like the red marks over his eyes in his new design and I wanted to incorporate that and I read somewhere that Leo's the second youngest of the turtles in the reboot. 'Til next time.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey didn't like the fact that Leo was drifting away from them. Leo didn't feel comfortable around his family because he felt like he truly belonged. And he hates going out on patrol every time it's Raph's turn to lead.

Michelangelo sat in the pit of his living room, stuffing his face with tortilla chips and some guacamole Karai had bought for him at the store. He heard Donnie tinkering in his lab, probably working on another project of his. Normally, ever the curious one, Mikey would casually sneak into his brother's lab and played with that weird, turtle robot of his – which he named Metalhead, not to brag – or toy with Donnie's other past creation, much to the genius' annoyance.

However, the youngest brother found himself too engorged into his cartoon show and he couldn't bear to part with his chips, they were too precious to abandon. Mikey's baby blue eyes stared intently into the screen, his face lit from the screen and lights only made the freckles on his cheek more noticeable. He sat with his legs crossed, his hands cupped around his chin as he watched the brilliant show that bestowed the name of Super Robo Mega –

Mikey flew back in surprise when the T.V. suddenly shut off and his eyes widened. _"NOOOO!"_ Mikey wailed, his blue eyes widened to saucers. A new voice entered the room, "T.V. rots your brain, dork," the voice groused and Mikey whipped around to face the unlucky scoundrel who dared to shut off his show. He stared back at a boy who was his age, Asian features like himself and Donnie, and scarlet red hair that was obviously dyed, his hair spiky and his electric green eyes pierced into Mikey's baby blue eyes.

Mikey scowled, "Raph!" he cried in outrage, "I was just in the middle of watching a new episode of Super Robo Mega -"

Raphael rolled his eyes, "I know what the show's called, little brother," he said, his tone irritated as he plopped himself a seat on their leather soft couch, snagging the remote as the television screen blinked back to life. "The show's lame, anyways, Mikey. Why don't you try watching wrestling once in a while?" Raph said, flipping through the channels as his eyes tried to find anything somewhat interesting.

Mikey simply pouted like the child he was called at his older brother. Well, only older by ten minutes, then Donnie was born three minutes later, and Leo – well...that part was a bit more complicated for Mikey to understand, but he was still the youngest in the family. Rolling his eyes skyward, Mikey stomped off and folded his arms tightly against his chest, opting to grab a slice of pizza instead and just go watch the episode back in the comfort of his room. At least no one there would interrupt him and his precious show.

Mikey rounded a corner and entered the large kitchen. His family wasn't exactly rich per say. But his father had made enough money with his dojo business to afford a large apartment complex like the one they lived in the city. He flung the fridge door open and bent down and dug his way through the large containers of fruit and other nutrients and cuisine until he found the triangle shaped tinfoil object. Mikey beamed with a bright grin as he grabbed it and closed the fridge and turned around. He yelped as he nearly dropped the cold pizza in his hands as he stumbled on his bare feet.

Sitting on the stool of their kitchen island, chewing through a bag of potato chips, was his older brother, Leonardo. His dark eyes stared at Mikey, dull, and the expression on his face looked bored, dead as a robot. Regaining his composure, Mikey immediately relaxed and gave his brother a bright smile, "Hey, Leo," he greeted as he unwrapped the tinfoil from the slice of pizza, popping it in the microwave before shutting, setting the time for a minute as he waited somewhat patiently, still fidgety. Mikey plopped himself a seat on one of the stools as he dangled his legs, leaning forward as he propped a hand to his chin, regarding Leo with a cheery grin of his.

"Where've you been, bro?" he asked curiously, "We haven't see you in, like, forever."

Leo blinked, "Mikey, you guys saw me this morning." he corrected with a deadpan tone. Mikey rolled his eyes at his brother, "Whatever, dude. Feels like forever." he whined. Leo rolled his eyes and clutched his bag of chips, sliding off the stool. "Whatever you say, Mikey," he sighed before leaving Mikey alone with his microwaving pizza, his steps silent as the night.

Mikey frowned at his brother's retreating form. He didn't like the way Leo had become so distant with him and the rest of his brothers. Mikey always knew Leo was a bit of a loner but last year had only gotten worse because Mikey had noticed that Leo wasn't even engaging in social contact with any other kids at their old school. He wondered if it was harder now since Leo and Donnie had bumped up a grade level so that meant they got to skip freshman year. Lucky ducks.

The microwave beeped automatically, driving Mikey away from his thoughts as he hurriedly grabbed his slice of pizza and made a beeline for his room. Maybe he would talk to Leo later and see if they could find him a friend, girlfriend, whatever. He didn't like seeing that bored, unreadable expression on his face.

* * *

Leonardo laid across one of the vents on a random rooftop he and his brothers were currently standing on. They were going out for a training run, Raphael leading this time. They all shared a part in the leadership thing every week they went out for a run. Master Splinter had explained that it was in order to observe who would be fit for the official role of the leader. He didn't observe by actually accompanying them but he watched from a view based on how all the brothers acted after the run.

It was Raph's turn this week and Leo honestly couldn't be more tired and irritated. He didn't like the way Raph led the three of them because he was compulsive and he let his feelings get in the way all the freaking time. Well, more of his anger and that was a problem because if the bonehead couldn't figure out a way to control he was gonna lead them to their graves. But it wasn't like Leo could protest. He didn't have a say in any of this. Sensei had always told him he was more than welcomed to voice his opinions on Raphael as leader but Leo couldn't find it in himself to say anything. It wasn't his place; Splinter was only asking because Leo knew his Sensei pitied him.

It was difficult for Leonardo to get along with his family. He was always so distant with them because he felt like he was the black sheep of the family. Oh, who was he kidding, he was the black sheep in the family. He had always felt like that from the first day he was adopted by Tang Shen and Hamato Yoshi. The first week he settled into his new home, at age four, every one of his adoptive siblings attempted to make him feel welcomed. Karai had told him the basic rules of the household, Mikey was more than ecstatic, Donnie had asked him way too many questions, and Raph just seemed grumpy but he acknowledged Leo.

Leo rubbed at the red paint that was over his eyes, rubbing his brow as it itched uncomfortably. He had used the paint from one of Karai's makeup bags, and he then vowed to go to the store first thing in the morning and buy red paint that wasn't so itchy. He squirmed a bit as he tried to get himself comfortable on the air vent, but the air was crisp and he was in his ninja gear, which he had ripped the sleeves off earlier. Splinter was surprisingly calm, and when he sat Leonardo down and explained to him that he was just going through a rebellious stage. Leo just sat there and nodded along, but he wasn't really listening to his adoptive father as intently as he should have. He probably was going through a rebellious phase, but then that wouldn't explain the past eleven years of his life.

Unable to find a comfortable position, the dark skinned teen groaned under his breath and chose to sit up instead. So much for relaxation...

Mikey had his arms across his chest and the youngest brother threw his head and sighed loudly. "Raph..." he drawled, looking as done as Leo felt tonight. None of them were really in the mood tonight for a training run. It was Monday for crying out loud. "Can we just go home already? We've been here for like a day and my patience is running super thin, bro." Mikey complained. Donnie glanced at the youngest brother, "Mikey, we've been here for seven hours." he corrected, and his eyes slid to Raph, "But he's right, Raph. Maybe we should just go home. It's late and we've got school tomorrow."

Raph rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over as he narrowed his eyes, "So?" he said, "Just because we've got school doesn't mean we get to be lazy with our training. Splinter put me in charge tonight and as your leader, I say we stay here until I say we can leave. Anyone got a problem with that? If you do," he jabbed a thumb behind him, "there's the fire escape."

Mikey and Donnie shared a look, before turning their gazes back on Raph, and then both looked back at each other again. A silent conversation glazed over their eyes, conflicted and exhausted to the brim. Donnie sighed wearily, his eyes back on his eldest brother, "Fine. One more hour." he relented, Mikey nodding as he plopped himself down onto the cold pavement, silently praying that the chilled concrete would miraculously transform into a soft, warm bed.

Leo lifted a brow, and rolled his eyes. In one swift motion, he unsheathed one sword and began a couple of katas he'd been working on for a few weeks. The blade glinted in the moonlight and he felt himself calm slightly as he moved through the swift and delicate motions. He brought the tip of his sword to the vent he had been attempting to rest on and outlined a 'T' before slicing the vent from the top edge to the bottom edge.

Donnie watched his younger brother with a curious but somewhat amused look, "You do know that you're destroying city property, right?" he asked, his lips curving into a slight smirk. Leo turned his head and shrugged one shoulder, sheathing his katana sword. He folded his arms across his chest, "I don't think anyone's gonna miss that vent anytime soon. That thing's like a rock, I can't even lay down on that."

"You're not supposed to be sleeping on that, Fearless," Raph pointed out with a roll of his eyes, and Leo shrugged again, "Well, we're not doing shit and I'm starting to get bored. Can't we just work on forms or something? Maybe work on balance exercises?" Leo suggested and Raph sighed, rubbing his eyes as he tried to fight off the sleep. "I told you, Fearless, we're keeping vigilant."

"Yeah? On what? Nothing's happened in the last few hours aside from a few muggings that I caught and an alley cat diving into a dumpster." Leo said, trying to keep the bite out of his tone. He wasn't in the mood to get into another argument with Raph. All Leo wanted to do was to go home and sleep until he had to wake and get ready for school. There had been no action tonight and they haven't done anything aside from wasting their time when they should've practiced something. They learned the art of patience but this was a bit of a stretch. Raph clenched his jaw but maintained himself to keep calm, reminding that he was doing this right. They just had to wait for something to happen and they would all jump into action. They even exhibited the art of patience and Raph counted that as a win.

"Let's just go home, dude," Leo sighed, eyes dull, "We're all tired, it's late, and Sensei's probably getting worried."

Raph bit his lip but didn't say anything. He stared at his younger brother and his green eyes slid to all of them. Don and Mikey's hair were disheveled and both had bags under their eyes, eyes red rimmed with exhaustion and he turned his gaze on Leo again. He noticed the heavy bags under his adoptive brother's eyes and noticed that behind the stoic exterior, Leo looked beyond exhausted. He mulled his thoughts over again before he finally came to a decision.

He groaned, admitting defeat, "Fine," he relented, "You guys can go home. I'll stay here instead." he said. Mikey immediately dropped at the opportunity and tackled Raph into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he squealed, delighted as he wasted no time into leaping off the edge and climbing down the fire escape. Raph stared with an amused expression and shook his head. Donnie sighed and smiled tiredly at Raph, "Try not to stay up too late." he advised, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Raph shrugged as Donnie walked past him and down the fire escape. "No promises," he called over his shoulder.

As Donnie's footsteps faded, Raph continued to stand at the edge of the building, continuing to rub the sleep away. He was sure he had heard something a couple of days ago. It had to be something important because the sound didn't sound anything like he would usually hear in New York. And that was saying something.

Leo checked the time on his phone and frowned. It was around midnight and Splinter and Tang Shen were definitely worried by now. He took a step forward to walk home and go to sleep, but he glanced at Raphael, perched on the edge like a gargoyle, rubbing his eyes once in a while. Leo looked at his older brother and looked back to where the fire escape was. A debate raged in his expression and Leo found himself reluctant. He was tired as hell and he would rather sleep back on his comfortable bed than stay here a second longer, but for some odd reason Raph was insistent and had rambled on about a noise he had heard a couple of weeks ago. Leo remembered rolling his eyes and dismissing the theory. This was New York, there were lots of weird noises.

But he couldn't leave Raphael alone. Even if there was anything dangeorus, while Raph could handle himself sufficiently in a battle, he would need a team to back him up in case it all went to hell. Besides it was cold out here and even the chances of catching hypothermia were low, it wasn't impossible.

Sighing as he rolled his eyes, he walked into Raphael's direction and crossed his arms over his chest. Raph quirked a brow as he regarded Leo with mild curiosity. Leo stared at his adoptive brother with an unreadable expression. "Why don't you head on back home and I'll take watch instead?" he suggested, his voice steady. Raph opened his mouth to protest, but Leo held up a hand to stop him, "You're tired and you're not in an appropriate condition to fight in case anything happens. And I've already had my nap back at home." Raph didn't protest, but he didn't leave either. Leo sighed, giving his brother a weak but sure smile, "I'll be fine. Promise."

Raph hesitated for a few moments, his electric green eyes in deep thought, lips tightly pressed together as he considered Leo's offer. Finally, Raph groaned, planting a strong hand on the younger's shoulder, "You better be, Fearless. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Raph said with a crooked grin, walking past Leonardo as he leapt down and climbed down the fire escape, discreetly making his way back home as Leo watched where he had just been moments ago.

Leo's smile vanished as his expression tightened seriously, standing onto the edge as he watched the city below him. He could hear the quiet thrum of the club music nearby, the bright lights illuminating the city in a brilliant glow, and the people walked by, oblivious that a teenager decked in ninja garb was standing over the edge of the building. A small but content smile cracked to Leo's face as the wind breathed into his skin, and he let himself be lost into it for a bit. He had always loved the wind ever since he was a child. He remembered how he used to sneak out of the orphanage and stand on the roof as the wind cooled his feverish skin, calming his nerves. It was quiet and he liked to hear the noise. Sometimes he wished it could be so simple again. He wanted to feel free and he wanted to know that he could do what he pleased. Sometimes he was just tired of trying to be more responsible. He wanted to let loose once in a bit. But that was selfish and that wasn't the kind of person Leonardo was. But it also wasn't the person he loved to be.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonardo is exhausted beyond belief as he trudged towards the school. He deflected the questions about the bruise and now he had to deal with a nagging Irma who was oddly and suspiciously curious about the yearly party Raphael threw every year. Weird. Even for her.

_1 Month Later..._

Leonardo trudged forward into his first period class and slumped over to his desk in the back of the room. He preferred to observe the class from a certain distance so he wouldn't be bothered by any nosy classmate. He melted into his chair and threw his head back, mouth opening wide to let out a yawn. Bags hung under his eyes from their nightly patrol, along with the heavy bruising on the left side of his face, nearly swollen. Raph seriously owed him big time. He barely gotten any sleep and he was already done with the day, too tired to lift a finger as his face collided with the desk, jostling the bruise slightly. He closed his eyes peacefully and planned to snooze all through the rest of class until he heard the shrill ring of the bell. Or maybe April would just wake him up.

He wasn't sure how long he was asleep for until someone gently tapped him on the shoulder. Leo shifted a bit but he didn't budge or open his eyes. Someone nudged his shoulder once again and Leo furrowed his brows and blinked open his eyes, glazed with exhaustion and mild annoyance. His dark eyes turned to meet April's teasing blue eyes as she tilted her head at him, one brow raised in question. "Hey, sleepy head." she greeted him in a teasing tone, smirking slightly. Leo shifted again and closed his eyes, "Hey..." his voice trailed off, ready to fall back into the beautiful chambers of darkness. A sharp pain emitted from the back of his head and opened his eyes again when they met April's narrowed blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head as she stared at him. "You look really tired." she observed. Leo rolled his eyes skyward, "Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious." he retorted sarcastically. April raised a brow and him a lopsided smirk, "What got into your pants this morning? No shut eye for your beauty sleep, your majesty?" she teased. Leo attempted to shift himself into a more comfortable position as he tiredly scowled at her, "For your information, I was doing other things that were actually worth my time and effort, O'Neil." he defended and April raised her hands in defeat, brows shooting up high as she smiled lightly. "I was just curious, Leonardo. But seriously. What happened?" she asked with a softer tone.

Leo shrugged, "I fell last night and I couldn't get any sleep." he droned, leaning back into his chair, crossing his arms tightly against his chest. April narrowed her eyes suspiciously and looked like she was trying to decipher whether or not he was lying. He liked April - she was really fun to hang around with. But he wouldn't call her a friend or anything just yet. They've only known each other for a month and she and Irma were bound to grow bored of him at some point. It was only a matter of time. Just like with all his past friends. Leo was just too silent and he never engaged into their conversations. He didn't mind; he preferred to be alone.

She hesitantly nodded and turned back to her seat, propping her hand onto her cheek as their teacher began the lesson and students shuffled in their seats to grab a pencil and paper while Leo opted to fall right back asleep and wait until class was over. He needed shut eye desperately and he wouldn't be able to survive the day if he didn't fall asleep at least through one class. He closed his eyes peacefully and let the sweet chambers of darkness swallow him whole.

The bell shrilled to life and Leo resisted the urge to throw his desk across the room as he peeled his heavy eyelids open. He lifted his hand to his face, rubbing the swollen bruise as he gathered his supplies and stuffed them into his backpack. The whole room shuffled as everyone chatted and they left the room. April patiently waited for him and he rose from his seat, leading the way as they headed to their next class.

"Are you sure you're okay?" April asked again as she eyed the bruise wearily as she sat across from him. She noticed with a keen eye that he had been unconsciously picking at the bruise every once in a while as he ate his food. The bruise looked incredibly painful and it was nearly swollen. "I could go get you some ice." she offered. Leo's dark eyes slid to her and he shook his head, "I'm fine, really," he insisted, taking a bite of his sub. "Raph just tends to get a little rough,"

"And does a 'little rough' translates into completely too far?" April challenged and she frowned when she spotted the scarlet haired boy from across the lunchroom, playing a game of arm wrestle with some guy named Casey Jones. Leo turned his head and followed her gaze, lifting a brow as Raph smeared his shirt with gravy and mashed potatoes. He rolled his eyes, turning back to April. "I appreciate the concern, but I promise. It's no big deal." he assured her.

April rolled her eyes at him, stealing a grape from his tray as she popped it into her mouth. "Fine. I'll let it go. For now." she relented, but her eyes held a promise for next time. Leo smirked but didn't say anything as he chomped into his sandwich, soft and sludgy in the middle. Without looking up from his food, "Hey, Irma," he greeted absent-mindedly and the girl who had just plopped a seat next to April raised a brow. Her expression was incredulous, "How the hell do you even do that? I just got here."

Leo flashed her a charming smile in return, portraying his pearly white teeth. A girl with no brains would've swooned under his sweet and charming grin. Irma and April rolled their eyes in unison, the red head chuckling in amusement.

April had been enjoying her past month during her stay in New York so far. Irma had provided her a full tour of the magnificent city. The infestation of rats crawling along the sidewalks, the overcrowded roads that were lined with cars that continuously honked even when clearly nobody was moving anytime soon, and let's not forget that it's the center of danger in every superhero movie. Yep. New York was just awesome. The people here are just so nice! Oh, and if you didn't catch that, _sarcasm people! Look it up!_ But the city was beautiful, April would give it that. The school itself was okay, the teachers were decent enough and she was blessed with the younger teachers, and some of the students were easy to get along with.

"So how was Journalism Club?" Irma asked as she dove into her own lunch. April glanced at the container that held her food and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. It looked like some sludge mixed in with cucumbers. _Gross,_ she thought to herself. "It was okay, we're debating on whether or not who we would interview for the school's sportsman column. Lot of the students wanna know what their knight in shining armor are like when they're not busy tearing the field apart." she told them and Leo quirked a brow. "Well, I can definitely save you the trouble for my big brother, who likes to pick his nose and stick it into Mikey's ear when he's not looking."

Irma rolled her eyes at the mention of the younger Hamato brother. _Distracted as always, numb nuts,_ she thought to herself in fond exasperation. Sometimes she would never understand how Mikey could be so daft. He really needed to pay attention more often.

April curled her nose and gagged slightly, shaking her head as she forced the mental image away from her mind, safely locked in an imaginary vault. "Well there goes one jock." she muttered under her breath, "Anyone else I should be avoiding?" she asked and Leo shrugged one shoulder. "Casey's not that interesting as he thinks," he said, "I think the school'll be safe not knowing his deepest, darkest secrets. Whatever the hell those are."

April nodded as she checked off the list, "Gotcha," she flipped her notebook opened and her eyes searched for the marked page and she took out her pencil from her headband as she began to scribble down and scratching off Casey Jones and Raphael Hamato. April skipped to a couple of more pages and her eyes perked with interest as she noticed the notes from last meeting during their discussion. "Hey, Leo," she gained the dark skinned boy's attention, "Isn't your brother Donnie the captain of the Robotics Club or something?"

"Yeah, and I think he's on the Decatholon Team, too." he answered as he lifted a brow, frowning in curiosity. He furrowed his brows, "Why?" he questioned, and April simply shrugged. "I'm writing an article about interviewing some of the resident geniuses that go to this school. They gave me a list on who I could interview about the upcoming robotics competition and I was hoping to interview Donnie about his creation so I can give our readers an inside scoop on what goes inside that brain of his."

Irma nodded as she listened with mild interest and an idea sparked her mind, "You could always ask him after school, we could meet with him at his house." she suggested with a mischievous smirk and Leo's dark eyes swept across her, frowning in disapproval, "Really?" he deadpanned but Irma paid him no mind. April's slid between the two and she narrowed them in suspicion. "Am I missing something here?" she asked. Leo rolled his eyes skyward, "She's trying to trick you into coming over at my house just so she could see what the place is like now." he explained in a dry tone. Irma rolled her olive green eyes and looked at Leo with pleading eyes, "Oh come on!" she drawled, clasping her hands together, "I haven't seen the place in years and I'm dying to find out whether or not your parents bust the party. Again."

April blinked in surprise as her gaze slid to Leo, a questioning expression in her freckled features, "What party?" she asked. Leo shrugged carelessly as he dug into his peaches. How could a boy in that great of shape eat so much and not gain a pound or two? "She's talking about this party Raph throws every year every time our parents go out of town. It's the same as always; they come back early, party's canceled, and somehow all of us are in for it." he explained.

April hummed wordlessly as she tilted her head, "Are the parties any fun?" she asked.

"Sometimes, I guess. Other times I wouldn't know since I sneak out and brood at Murakami's."

April perked up in interest as a faint smile cracked her lips, "Wait. Murakami's?" she probed excitedly, "Isn't that the place with all the Japanese food and those really good pizza gyozas he cooks?"

Leo nodded, "Yeah, they're not bad. Mikey actually gave the chef the idea when we...helped him out last summer. Since we're his favorite, we get them for free."

"Lucky."

Irma rolled her eyes and hugged impatiently, throwing her hands up in exasperation, "Uh, hello! I was asking you a very important question." she complained. Leo tilted his head at her and smirked lightly, raising a brow. "Is the party happening or not?"

His smirked widened, "Why the sudden interest in the party, Irma?" he asked with a low tone, smooth and sly. Irma pouted, and she crossed her arms as she lifted her chin up defiantly. "I'm simply interested in my friend's activities. Believe it or not, I do have other friends outside the two of you."

"You're forgetting that I don't have any friends." Leo deflected.

"Then why are we sitting here with you? And why aren't you telling us to go away, hmm, Leonardo?"

April watched in amusement as Leo's smirk vanished and he narrowed his dark orbs at the dark gothic girl, his features suddenly fiercer and a promise of murder. Irma smirked at him, hands tucked under her chin, and her eyes gleamed with triumph.

"I hate you." he said stubbornly, digging back into his food and Irma didn't look bothered. "You hate everybody. Now where do we stand on that party?"

 


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn't know why he comes here. He doesn't know why he's drinking the tall glass of tequila and he's taking more shots. A pretty girl walks up to him and asks if he's okay. He doesn't know. He doesn't know what he says to her but it must've been something she liked because all of a sudden she's dragging him into the back room of the nightclub. And they're fucking the night away.

He looks down at the ground from where he's standing. The wind cools his feverish skin. It's quiet aside from the beat of the club music nearby. He could see the lights pouring in from the street, where people are crowded in a line, waiting for the bouncer to let them in as he checks their I.D. The bouncer of the club is dark skinned, same shade as his, broad shoulders, towering height. His head was strikingly bald, and he had dark tinted sunglasses perched on his face, making him seem even more terrifying than he was supposed to be.

Leonardo just stands there on the edge of the roof, looking down at the people from below, unaware of his presence. He's dressed in a dark pair of jeans, a pair of sneakers that are way too big for his feet – he'd grow into them eventually, he was sure of it. He had his own pair of sunglasses perched on his face, covering his dark eyes, the red paint over his eyes, trailing down to his cheek. He had a navy blue t-shirt on, along with a leather jacket that accented his muscles. And he wore a blinding white earring in his ear, his jaw seeming sharper.

He doesn't know why he's here or why he's wearing any of this. Maybe he just felt like rebelling tonight since Raph was doing the same thing; throwing a party without their parents permission. It was typical of Raph, he knew it was coming. He had only been hogged up in his room with Casey and all their other buddies, no doubt plotting. The party was tonight, everyone at school was coming, and the party was just getting started from what he had seen. He saw a couple of people he knew from class as he left the house. He saw them from the party last year and the other year. He doesn't know why people still keep coming to Raph's party. He gets caught every time and this year wouldn't be different.

Leo didn't know if April and Irma were coming. Irma never went to Raph's party since Casey was always bugging her. But she had seemed pretty invasive when she pestered Leo about it a couple of days ago. He didn't know why, nor did he care. And April was the new girl in school, so she'd probably check it out. Leo would've stayed, like he always did. He didn't do much at the parties; he would make an appearance or two, flirting with a girl that attached herself to him, and then he'd go back into the sanctuary of his room, practicing some katas or doing some homework if he felt like it. But not this time. This time he felt different. He felt rebellious.

He leapt off the roof and landed into an alleyway, landing on his feet soundlessly. He walked out of the alley and strolled into the line, waiting patiently as it grew shorter and longer at the same time. He's finally at the entrance and he could already smell the sweat mixed in with booze and he clamps down the urge to gag in disgust. The bouncer guy looks at him up and down, judging by how young his features are. "You look a little young, kid," his deep voice rumbled, "I.D., please," he said in a commanding tone. Leo shrugged coolly and fished the card out of his back pocket, along with a hundred dollar bill. The bouncer raised an unimpressed brow once he had a whiff of Leo's age, shaking his head. "Sorry, kid," he didn't sound sorry at all, "Can't let you go in unless you're twenty one."

"Would a hundred dollar bill or two persuade you?" Leo gambled as he held out the bill and added the other one, and a smirk took up half of his face. The bouncer didn't say a word, turning his gaze around and towards the line that had gotten longer awhile ago, and snatched the money from Leo's fingers, and he unhooked the velvet that stood between Leo and the entrance, "Have a good time, sir," the bouncer said, and Leo dipped his head in a nod before walking in.

The room of the nightclub was dark, illuminated by a multicolored lamp hanging above them on the ceiling. The smell was a mixture of sweat, alcohol, and smoke. His eyes skimmed the area and he looked to the right; a large number of people were overcrowded on what he assumed was the dance floor. Guys were dressed in semi-fashionable clothing, girls dressed provocatively in tight dresses, but no shoes. He rolled his eyes and walked towards the bar area, away from all those people that grinded on each other.

He sits at the stool in front of the bar, a simple wooden island table and the bartender had his back turned to him. The bartender asks what he wants, and Leo doesn't really know what to answer to that because he never had alcohol in his life before. He purses his lips, trying to remember if he heard anything about a certain drink from a T.V. show he's seen. "Uh...tequila on the rocks." he finally says after a few minutes. The bartender raises a brow, tilting his head, before nodding, looking impressed. "Bold move, kid." he compliments, and Leo smiles.

The glass is tall and the drink is clear with ice toppling inside of it, all smushed together like a magnet to the fridge. Leo grabs the icy cold beverage, water droplets pouring off the glass, wetting his fingers as he brings the rim of the cup to his lips. He throws his head back as he takes a sip, lips curling in disgust and he almost gags on the drink, instead he wrinkled his nose as he set the glass down. The bitter taste lingered on his tongue, and Leo grimaced.

The guy sitting next to him laughed, clapping him roughly on the back as Leo let out a surprised grunt at the gesture, turning his head. The guy was smirking widely at him, "Ya might wanna take it easy there, junior," he teased, his voice sounding like as if he had swallowed a bucket of nails. He gave the teen a toothy grin, "These types of drink got a kick in them." he advised and Leo slowly nodded, grabbing the glass again and staring at the contents. The guy next to him tapped his shoulder and Leo turned his gaze back to him. The man had his own glass, a rich amber color, and he lifted in front of him, nodding. Leo tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, before realization dawned on him and he smiled sheepishly at the stranger. Their glasses clinked as they mimicked a cheers and each took a drink from their respective glass. The taste was still bitter and horrible, but it wasn't as unbearable as the first time. He just needed to get more accustomed to it.

He took another sip. And then another. And the another again until he downed the entire thing, asking the bartender for another glass. The process repeated multiple times until Leo was sitting at the bar, ecstasy pulsing through the tip of his fingers, his dark eyes glazed as his pupils were blown wide. Wonder danced in his eyes and someone from behind him tapped his shoulder. Confused, he twisted his head and noticed a very pretty girl standing in front of him, plopping a seat right next to him. She was very pretty; her hair was a midnight black shade, her skin had a rich, brown tint to it, and her eyes are a dewy, doe brown color. Her hair is styled in a sleek ponytail and she's wearing a tight bralette top and skinny jeans with high top sneakers. She looks like she could be his age.

She raises a brow at him, "You okay?" she asks him, but Leo isn't sure what the answer to that is. His head is spinning and he can't think straight. He opens his mouth to give her an answer, but instead he laughs uncontrollably and tips forward, laughing into his hand. He doesn't know why he's laughing; the girl didn't say anything funny. Nothing funny happened at all and yet he was still laughing. He laughs like a drunken maniac for a couple of more seconds, and he manages to calm himself down again when he meets the eyes of the pretty girl, who's still staring at him with a bemused grin. He opens his mouth again – but it doesn't reach his ears. His voice is louder than he expected, and he couldn't really tell what he just said to the strange girl.

He watches her expression carefully; his whole body feels warm and tingly. It's vibrating, and his head is pounding like someone's trying to bang through it, like they're trapped or something. The girl has a surprised look on her pretty face, before it melts into a sly, devilish grin. He's about to ask her what he said – but she doesn't give him a chance as she dips forward, her soft and glossy lips pressing against his, and his brain explodes like the Fourth of July. He's kissed plenty of girls before. Leo was a good looking guy, what girl wouldn't think he was attractive? But this kiss felt different because he distantly realized that he was drunk off his ass and their lips locked together expertly.

He didn't realize that the girl was dragging him into the back room, shutting the door noisily behind him and she's pushing him up against the cool, tiled wall. He doesn't realize until a second later that she's ripping his clothes off and he precedes to do the same to hers. Heavy, ragged breathing fills the entire room that's glowed in a deep scarlet color, casting their shadows and making it hard to see as Leo and the mysterious girl are kissing like hungry beasts, their clothes and undergarments discarded beside them as they're fucking the rest of the night away.

Leonardo loses his virginity at fifteen-years-old, at a nightclub in Brooklyn, with a girl he hardly knows. The pretty girl could be his age, she didn't look any older than he was. His hot breath is fanning over her lobes as she trails kisses down his neck in a feathery whisper. The girl's heavy, doe brown eyes lifts up to his, and he rolls over his back until he's on top of her and he's pressing his lips onto hers, their mouths dancing as skin on skin smacking is echoing in the room. And they stay like that for another hour or two.

* * *

 

Karai took a swig of her punch as she and her friend, Shinigami, sat on the bar, away from the dance floor as their other friends dance wildly to the deafening music. She'd rather be anywhere else than here but Karai didn't have much of a choice. Her younger brother Raphael decided to be an asshole again and throw those stupid parties he has every year ever since the eighth grade. It was incredibly annoying and she didn't understand why he kept throwing those even though he gets caught every time. Tang Shen and Splinter had actually made it a key tradition every year. And she would rather not be in the house to witness their wrath. Even if it was pretty funny.

She shifted uncomfortably as the back of the dress she had worn began itching her pale skin again. She hates wearing dresses and this one proved to be annoying. It was something her mother had bought her a couple of months ago. Something about her upcoming birthday in a couple of weeks. Although Karai wasn't particularly a big fan of dresses, even she knew that this one was really pretty. It was a dark violet dress that stopped at her knees, and no straps. She had worn her expensive heels with the dress, even though for her birthday she was planning to wear her combat boots instead.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she pushed the drink away; she hated the taste and it left a bitter linger on her tongue. Nightclubs weren't really her scene at all; she had only come because partly she didn't want to be around her brother's no doubt wild party, but mainly because she needed a break from studying for her Earth Science quiz and Shini had wanted to check this club out. Although Karai didn't see what the big deal was about it; the bouncer hadn't even asked for their I.D. and that just made her suspicious and weary. She supposed it didn't matter anymore, they were here and Shini was having the time of her life.

"Why are we here again?" Karai asked as she turned her head to her friend, who raised a brow.

"Because I would like to do something fun other than studying for a boring quiz with information we will never need in life." she answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Karai rolled her eyes skyward, "Sure," she drawled, "because grinding and rolling our asses on a bunch of guys and girls we don't know is such a blast." her tone was laced with sarcasm. Shini glared, "What would you rather do then?" she challenged and Karai shrugged one shoulder lightly, "We could always go to IHOP." she suggested, "I heard their parties are wild this time of year."

"They don't even have any parties."

Karai pouted mockingly, "I'm hurt, Shini. Truly wounded. Those senior citizens can party like it's nobody's business."

Shinigami rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she took another swig of her own drink, grimacing, "On second thought, I wouldn't mind some orange juice with scrambled eggs," she said, "The drinks absolutely suck here."

Karai chuckled, propping a fist under her chin, "Amen to that." she agreed, "So...IHOP?"

Shini nodded, "IHOP." she affirmed, slinging her tiny purse over her shoulder, and Karai and her shuffled out of their seats and Shini opened her mouth to say something when her eyes widened in surprise. Karai raised a brow at the direction Shini was staring wide eyed at. "Um...Karai, I thought you said your brother was throwing a party at your house." she said, and Karai furrowed her brows in confusion.

"He is. Why?" she asked, a small dab of dread plummeting to her stomach. Shini pointed to something behind her, "Because he's standing a few meters behind you." she answered and Karai's golden brown eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She whirled around and prepared herself to rip Raphael a new one before she blinked hard in surprise.

Well, one of her younger brothers were certainly here. But it wasn't Raphael to her surprise. It was her younger, adopted brother Leonardo. He was leaning against the wall as if it was his life support and he was blinking dazedly, looking both confused and in pain at the same time. His clothes were disheveled and rumpled, sweat was glistening off his chocolate skin and his dark eyes were blown wide. "Leo?" she called in disbelief, Shini following after her as she walked up to her younger brother. Leo seemed unaware of her presence until he blinked dazedly in surprise, his wide, dark eyes sliding up to meet her amber gaze. "Karai?" he slurred, breathing ragged and her eyes widened in surprise. Was he...drinking? And how the hell did he get in here?

"Leo, what are you doing here?" she demanded as she folded her arms across her chest, glaring down at him sternly. She expected this from Raph but she definitely didn't expect it from Leo of all people. He shrugged, smiling drunkenly, "It's a party, isn't it?" his slurred voice answered and Karai clenched her jaw. "No. This is a nightclub where people who are not your age come here to dance and make very bad decisions." she scolded, sounding like Tang Shen whenever she scolded one of them for disobeying. "Why are you here anyways?" she asked, "You don't even like parties let alone nightclubs."

"Felt rebellious tonight." he slurred, his eyes fluttering closed and he began to slide down to the floor. Karai jumped into action and quickly caught her brother by the crook of his elbow, slinging his arm around her shoulders as she and Shini started to walk out of the club. "Ugh. Father's gonna kill me," she groaned as she dragged her little brother out of the nightclub, the crisp October air sending goosebumps up and down her exposed flesh. Shini quickly guided them to her car, getting in herself as Karai flung opened the door to the back seat of the car. She gently shoved Leo inside, and he slumped forwards, and Karai quickly caught him as she positioned him in a more a comfortable position, propping one of the pillows behind his head. "Don't fall asleep." she ordered, shutting the door before she entered the car herself.

Shini pushed the keys into the ignition and the car sputtered to life. She pulled the car backwards before turning it and they were back on the roads as she headed to the main stream of they city cars. Hopefully they wouldn't be stopped and pulled over for a ticket, since they had drank a little bit of alcohol but Shini wasn't drunk at all since she had a couple of tiny sips.

"So what now?" she asked, the street lights casting a streak across her face. She turned her eyes to Karai briefly, and Karai huffed, her cheeks puffing out as she so. "Just drive me home and I'll try and tuck him in and then we can leave for some pancakes." she said, twisting her head a little as she eyed her little brother, who had his forehead stuck to the window. He wasn't sleeping, thank God. Karai didn't know how much alcohol he had drank and what type of drink he had, so she had to at least make sure he wasn't going to die tonight because of alcohol poisoning. She couldn't stomach the thought.

She sighed heavily, flipping the glove department open and she fished for a water bottle. "This boy's going to give me grey hairs." she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for her friend to hear. Shini huffed a laugh, "It's a good thing he's cute, then." she chuckled and Karai rolled her eyes fondly as she grabbed the bottle and tossed it over to Leo's lap. It took him about a minute before he realized that someone had thrown an object across his lap. He blinked in confusion and furrowed his brows when he caught sight of the bottle, fingers fumbling for it.

"Drink up, Fearless," Karai ordered over her shoulder, "Gotta get some nutritional fluids back into your system."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here. The next chapter talks about the party and we'll see more of the brothers.


	6. Chapter 5

Music blasted through the air, brushing through the ears of many high schoolers as they all wandered about. People swarmed in many areas of the large house, devouring in their soda cans and stuffing their faces with a wide range of cuisine. Teenagers danced on the main living room floor, rolling their hips as they moved to the rhythm of the beat, sweat drenching their skin.

Donatello sighed through his nose as he hovered nearby the ping pong table out in the back deck of the house. Lawn chairs were thrown out the green scenery as water splashed in the air like rain, kids decked out in their swimsuits as they 'canonballed' into the massive pool. Why had his mother gave in to Michelangelo's pleas was a mystery to him. The miniature ball tapped audibly against the table and splashed inside the red cups as he watched Raphael and his friend, the oh-so great Casey Jones, indulge in a game of beer pong.

Donnie crossed his arms as he frowned at his eldest brother in disapproval, but it came blind to Raph's glassy eyes, and he laughed as he pumped a fist in the air, enjoying whatever victory he had. His parents wouldn't approve of any of...well, this. He checked the watch wrapped around his wrist and bit his lower lip, looking back at his brother and friends. He had been checking the time over constantly and he prayed his parents would get here soon enough. They would always take a trip to Japan once a year and leave for a week but usually they came home early. Right around the same time Raphael decides to throw a party.

Donnie shook his head as beer splattered all over Casey's jeans, and he decided to walk away as he left the outdoors and back into the indoors. He rather not watch a bunch of high schoolers surrender to the idiocy of alcohol. He shouldered his way past through the herd of people, which could compare with a herd of animals in the jungle. The temperature of the room was a blazing hot, and already he could feel the beads of sweat trickling down his skin, staining through the fabric of his clothes. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he caught a whiff of the dance floor in his living room, and he opted to go back outside, preferably to the front yard instead.

The cool breeze hit him like a ball of paper, and he sighed in relief as the wind cooled his sweaty skin. He spotted people he knew from school, the crowd less packed and they sipped on either a soda can or a bottle of water. The lighting on the front porch was dim, and he could smell the heavy stench of cherry blossoms his mother had planted weeks prior. The woman loved to plant and she loved cherry blossoms the most. Why, he didn't know. Donnie just assumed she liked them because cherry blossoms were most common in Japan and his parents stayed true to their roots. He could also snif the smell of the Indian sandalwood she had planted years ago. It was a plant located in Uganda, where Leonardo was originally born before he was shipped into America.

Lights flashed across his vision and Donnie's hand flew up to shield his eyes from the blinding car lights. He squinted as he noticed a couple of the kids crying out in shock and some high tailed it out of yard. That must mean his parents were home. Lowering his arm, a relieved smile stretched across Donnie's face as he heard the click of the door opening, but his smile fell when he noticed the familiar form of his big sister, Karai. He watched as Karai turned around and opened the back door and Donnie furrowed his brows in confusion when he noticed his younger brother, Leonardo was getting out of the car, or, more accurately, Karai hauling him out as his brother slumped against, Karai dragging him.

He raised a brow, "Leo?" he said as he heard Karai blew out a breath, walking closer as her amber eyes landed on him. "Donnie, can you help him into the house?" she asked but her tone suggested otherwise. Donnie opened his mouth and stuttered for a couple of seconds before his sister rolled her eyes and shoved the younger brother into Donnie's arms. "Thanks," she said hurriedly and Donnie watched helplessly as she ran off and got back into the car, shutting the door. "Wait!" he called, slinging Leo's arm around his shoulders, his brother wincing. Shinigami's head poked out of window as they drove backwards, "Bye, Donnie!" she cackled and she promptly drove away.

Donnie narrowed his eyes at the spot where they had been moments ago, before a barely audible groan brought him back to the present. Donnie looked down at Leo worriedly and shook him softly, "Leo?" he asked, wondering what had happened. Leo looked up and Donnie recoiled slightly as he noticed his pupils were blown wide, eyes glassy and Donnie suddenly sniffed when he caught a whiff of his brother. Raising a brow, he gently guided Leo onto the front steps of the house, leaning him back against the pillar that stood on either side of the concrete. Leo winced again and his hand rubbed against his stomach, his skin damp and glossy with sweat. Donnie crouched when he narrowed in on Leo's condition.

Leo was shifting uncomfortably as he swallowed multiple times, licking his lips, and Donnie could practically smell the sweat and alcohol. His eyes widened, "Have you been drinking?" he asked in horror. Leo didn't answer as his head tilted downwards, mumbling something incoherent. Donnie slapped his forehead, "Ugh! Two in a row, who would've thought?" he muttered under his breath before shaking his head, glaring at his brother in disapproval. "I'd lecture you but I kind of wanna lecture someone who'll remember this by morning." he quipped, wondering why the hell Leo of all be people would be out in the city drinking. Where did he even get the alcohol? Didn't he know that alcohol disoriented your health or the fact that it causes liver damage or shrinking of the brain? How could his little brother be so irresponsible? Why would Leo even drink, anyways? It made no sense. He never liked pleasing a crowd, so he doubted it was peer pressure.

Donnie made a move to attempt his younger brother into the house when he noticed something. He observed his brother with keen eyes as Leo swallowed thickly, squeezing his eyes shut. He was sweating profusely now and Donnie could hear him pant lightly, but it was loud enough for the older brother to hear. Donnie's brow furrowed and his forehead wrinkled in confusion, "Leo?" he said again, his reddish brown eyes now worried as he gently placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. It felt damp underneath the jacket hanging loose on Leo's frame, which worried Donnie even more.

Leo didn't respond, and his dark eyes lifted to meet Donnie's reddish brown. They were wide and they looked panicked, "I-I..." he trailed off, and his clamped shut again. A bead of sweat dripped from his chin, and Leo licked his lower lip, his eyes glossy and blown as they met Donnie's concerned gaze again. Without warning, the younger brother bent forward and promptly vomited on Donnie's sneakers.

Donnie cried out in surprise and his nose curled in disgust as Leo continued to hack his guts out. He watched with wide eyes as Leo continued to throw up, and after a couple of minutes, Leo simply made noises that indicated dry heaving. Spit dribbled down his mouth and travelled down his chin, and he wheezed, the sound sounding like a broken chainsaw. Donnie frowned deeply as he looked down at his brother's back. Suddenly, Leo made a noise that between a yell and a growl and he continued his vomiting fit again. Donnie swallowed and bit his lip when the smell wafted through his nostrils.

He risked the chance as his eyes looked down and he tried to get a better look of his now-ruined shoes. He looked away as quick as he'd looked down. Well, at least the vomit looked normal. That's good, right?


End file.
